Anchor assembly



J. H. CANATELLA ANCHOR ASSEMBLY Oct. 11, 1966 Filed April 21, 1965 INVENTOR John H. Cana/e/la ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,277,857 ANCHUR ASSEMBLY John H. Canatella, 4913 Wilshire Ave., Baltimore, Md. Filed Apr. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 449,839 8 Claims. (Cl. 114-207) This invention relates to anchors for boats and more particularly to an anchor assembly which can be easily disassambled and conveniently and safely transported when not in use.

Small boat owners have long recognized several problems associated with rigid anchors. They are cumbersome to store and transport, and they are hazardous when resting on the bottom of a boat. The pointed hooks of a rigid anchor may be a potential source of injury to the boat hull, and they constitute, at all times, a hazard to boat occupants. More recently collapsible type anchors have been developed to avoid these problems, but collapsible anchors are complicated and relatively expensive.

In view of the foregoing it is an object of this invention to provide an improved anchor assembly which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved anchor assembly which involves few parts and is easy to assemble and disassemble.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide an improved anchor assembly which is efficient and reliable in operation and is conveniently and safely transported.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved anchor assembly of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the anchor assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation, taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4, showing the upper portion of one of the elements of the anchor assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, the anchor which constitutes the subject of the present invention is indicated generally at 10. The anchor comprises a first member 11 and a second member 12 which are adapted to be interengaged and disengaged rapidly and without the use of any tools. Members 11 and 12 are locked together by means of a detachable boat line 13, such as rope, chain, or cable, in a manner hereinafter more fully described.

Member 11, illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 2, comprises elongated shank section 14, a pair of opposed spaced hooks 15 and 16 which extend laterally from the lower end of shank section 14 and in substantially the same plane, and a pair of projecting stop lugs 17 and 18 adjacent to but spaced from the upper end of shank sec tion 14. Shank section 14 is formed of side elements 19 and 20 which are joined together at their upper ends by link 21 and adjacent their midpoints by link 22. The upper portion of side elements 19 and 20, upper link 21 and midpoint link 22 define boat line receiving eye 23 in the upper portion of shank section 14, and the lower portions of side elements 19 and 20 and midpoint link 22 define lower slot 24, having its bottom end open, in the lower portion of shank section 14. In the embodiment of member 11 illustrated in FIG. 2, hook 15, side element 19, upper link 21, side element 21), and hook 16 are formed from a single piece of bar stock bent intermediate its end and having side elements 19 and 20 in parallel relation. Midpoint link 22 and stop lugs 17 and 18 are formed of the same bar stock material as the hooks and 3,277,357 Patented Oct. 11, 1966 ice side elements and may be joined to side elements 19 and 20 in any suitable manner as by welding, or the like.

Member 12, illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 3, comprises elongated shank section 25, a pair of opposed spaced hooks 26 and 27 which extend laterally from the lower end of shank section 25 and in substantially the same plane, and oval shaped top link 28 at the upper end of shank section 25 and substantially normal to its plane. Shank section 25 is formed of side elements 29 and 30 which are joined together adjacent their lower ends by link 31. Side elements 29 and 30 and lower link 31 form elongated slot 32, having its upper end open, in shank section 25. Top link 28, normal to shank section 25, and at its upper end, has an elongated opening 33 which communicates with shank section slot 32, and the vertical axis of top link opening 33 is in alignment with the longitudinal axis of shank section slot 32. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the longitudinal horizontal centerline of opening 33 is perpendicular to the plane of shank section 25 and hooks 26 and 27, and the transverse horizontal centerline of opening 33 is parallel to the same plane. In the embodiment of member 12 illustrated in FIG. 3, hook 26 and side element 29 are formed of a single piece of bar stock, as are hook 27 and side element 30. Top link 28 and lower link 31 are formed of the same bar stock material as the hooks and side elements and may be joined to side elements 29 and 30 in any suitable manner as by welding, or the like.

Members 11 and 12 may be interengaged to form anchor assembly 10 of this invention by first passing a hook and the lower portion of a side element, as for example hook 16 and the lower portion of side element 20, of first member 11 through shank section slot 32 of member 12 until the bottom of midpoint link 22 of first member shank section 14 is adjacent lower link 31 of second member shank section 25, as illustrated at 34 in FIG. 2 in phantom outline. First member 11 is then rotated relative to second member 12 to cause first member shank section 14 to move toward and partially through second member shank section slot 32 until the longitudinal axes of first member 11 and second member 12 are in substantial alignment. In this position the plane of books 15 and 16 and shank section 14 of first member 11 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of hooks 26 and 27 and shank section 25 of second member 12, and first member shank section side elements 19 and 20 and second member shank section side elements 29 and 30 are parallel. First member 11 is thereafter moved upwardly with respect to second member 12 to pass the upper portion of first member shank section 14, including at least a portion of boat receiving eye 23 therein, through second member top link opening 33 until first member stop lugs 17 and 18 contact the underside of second member top link 28. Boat line 13 secured through first member shank section boat receiving eye 23 locks members 11 and 12 together and restricts relative movement of one member with respect to the other. Members 11 and 12 can be disengaged by removing boat line 13 from receiving eye 23 and reversing the assembly steps described above.

Naturally, anchor 10 can be made any size desired. To reduce to a minimum the turning of first member 11 with respect to second member 12, second member top link opening 33 is of a width and length to receive, with limited clearance, the upper end of first member shank section 14; second member shank section slot 32 is of a width and length to pass, with limited clearance, a hook and a portion of the shank section of first member 11; and lower slot 24 of first member shank section 14 is of a width to receive second member shank section lower link 31. Obviously, first member shank section boat line receiving eye 23 must project above second member top link 23 a distance at least equal to the diameter or width of boat line 13. In order to be able to rotate first member 11 into axial alignment with second member 12 it is necessary that the distance R from the top of upper link 21 to the underside of midpoint link 22 of first member shank section 14 be less than the distance r, as shown in FIG. 5, from the top of lower link 31 to the bottom of the closest point 35 along the longitudinal vertical plane of top link 28 of second member 12. Preferably first ment er shank section 14- and second member shank section 25 are the same width and hooks 15, 16, 25 and 27 are the same width so that the overall width W of first member 11 is the same as the overall width w of second member 12. The height H from the bottom to the top of first member 11 is greater than the height h from the bottom to top of second member 12, and the length L of first member shank section 14 is longer than the length I of second member shank section 25. The distance D from the bottom of hooks 15 and 16 to the top of stop lugs 17 and 18 of first member 11 is approximately equal to the distance d from the bottom of hooks 26 and 27 to the underside of top link 28 of second member 12.

The simplicity of this invention reduces to a minimum the number of separate parts required for an anchor as sembly. The anchor members can be fabricated without the use of expensive machinery and equipment which results in relatively low manufacturing costs. Moreover, a small boat operator can easily and rapidly assemble the anchor when needed and after use disassemble and store the members in a fiat position so as to reduce potential damage to the hull or the possibility of injury to the boat occupants.

While there is shown and described only one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description and that there may be various embodiments within the general scope of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An anchor, for attachment to a boat line, comprising two interlocked members comprising a first member and a second member, said first member comprising:

(A) a first elongated shank section comprising:

(1) an upper portion having (a) a boat line receiving eye, (2) a lower portion having (a) a vertical slot, open at the bottom and and defining (i) a pair of first side elements,

(B) a pair of opposed speced first hook means substantially coplanar with said first shank section, each of said first hook means extending laterally from the lower end of one of said first side elements of said lower portion of said first shank section),

(C) a stop projection adjacent to but spaced from the upper end of said first shank section upper portion;

said second member comprising:

(A) a second elongated shank section comprising:

(1) a pair of spaced second side elements,

(2) means connecting said second side elements adjacent the lower ends thereof,

(3) an elongated slot defined by said pair of second side elements and said lower connecting means, said slot having its upper end open,

(B) a pair of opposed spaced second hook means substantially coplanar with said second shank section, each of said second hook means extending laterally from the lower end of one of said second side elements of said second shank section,

(C) link means connecting the upper ends of said second shank section pair of second side elements adjacent the upper ends thereof, said link means defining (1) an opening, said opening communicating with the upper end of said second shank section elongated slot;

said first member interlocked with said second member with:

(A) the plane of said first shank section and said first hook means substantially at right angles to the plane of said second shank section and said second hook means,

(B) a portion of said first shank section projecting through said second shank section slot whereby portions of said first member are on one side and the other side of the plane of said second member second shank section and said second hook means,

(C) the first member first hook means and first shank section lower portion slot straddling said second member shank section lower connecting means,

(D) a portion of said first shank section, including at least a portion of said boat receiving eye, projecting upwardly through said second member link means opening,

(E) said first member stop projection adjacent the underside of said second member link means to limit upward movement of said first member, and

(F) said boat line passing through said boat receiving eye thereby locking said first and second members together.

2. An anchor, for attachment to a boat line, formed of two members adapted to be interengaged and disengaged comprising:

(A) a first member comprising:

(1) a first elongated shank section comprising:

(a) a pair of first side elements,

(b) means connecting said first side elements adjacent the upper ends thereof,

(0) means connecting said first side elements intermediate the ends thereof,

(d) a boat line receiving eye defined by said pair of first side elements, said upper connecting means, and said intermediate connecting means,

(e) a slot defined by the lower end of said pair of first side elements and said intermediate connecting means, said slot having its lower end open,

(2) a pair of opposed spaced first hook means,

each of said first hook means extending laterally from the lower end of one of said first side elements of said first shank section,

(3) a stop projection adjacent to but spaced from the upper end of said first shank section,

(B) a second member comprising:

(1) a second elongated shank section comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced second side elements,

(b) means connecting said second side elements adjacent the lower ends thereof,

(c) an elongated slot defined by said pair of second side elements and said lower connecting means, said slot having its upper end open,

(2) a pair of opposed spaced second hook means, each of said second hook means extending laterally from the lower end of one of said second side elements of said second shank section,

(3) link means connecting the upper ends of said second shank section pair of second side elements adjacent the upper ends thereof, said link means having (a) an opening therein said first and second members being interengaged by:

(A) passing the lower portion of a first side element with its extending first hook means of the first member through the elongated slot of the second member second shank section until the first shank section intermediate connecting means is adjacent the second shank section lower connecting means,

(B) rotating the first member about the second memher second shank section lower connecting means to cause the first shank section of the first member to pass partially through the second shank section slot so that the first shank section is in substantial axial alignment with the second shank section,

(C) moving the first member upwardly with respect to the second member to pass the upper portion of the first member first shank section and at least a portion of the boat receiving eye therein through the opening of the second member upper link means until the first member stop projection is adjacent thereto, and

(D) securing a boat line through the portion of the first member first shank section boat line receiving eye projecting above the second member link means, thereby restricting relative movement of the first member with respect to the second member.

3. An anchor as set forth in claim 2 wherein said first member first shank section is longer than said second member second shank section, said first member first shank section is approximately equal in width to said second member second shank section, and said first member pair of opposed first hook means is approximately equal in size to said second member pair of opposed second hook means.

4. An anchor as set forth in claim 2 wherein the distance from the bottom of said pair of first hook means to the top of said stop projection of said first member is approximately equal to the distance from the bottom of said pair of second hook means to the underside of said link means of said second member.

5. An anchor, for attachment to a boat line, formed of two members adapted to be interengaged and disengaged comprising:

(A) a first member comprising:

(1) a first elongated shank section comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced first side elements,

(b) means connecting said first side elements adjacent the upper ends thereof,

(c) means connecting said first side elements intermediate the ends thereof,

((1) a boat line receiving eye defined by said pair of first side elements, said upper connecting means, and said intermediate connecting means,

(e) a slot defined by the lower end of said pair of first side elements and said intermediate connecting means, said slot having its lower end open,

(2) a pair of opposed spaced first hook means,

each of said first hook means extending laterally from the lower end of one of said first side elements of said first shank section, said first elongated shank section and said pair of first hook means lying in substantially the same first plane,

(3) a stop projection adjacent to but spaced from the upper end of said first shank section (B) a second member comprising:

(1) a second elongated shank section comprising:

(a) a pair of spaced second side elements,

(b) means connecting said second side elements adjacent the lower ends thereof,

(c) a longitudinally extending elongated slot defined by said pair of second side elements and said lower connecting means, said slot having its upper end open,

(2) a pair of opposed spaced second hook means,

each of said second hook means extending laterally from the lower end of one of said second side elements of said second shank section, said sec-ond elongated shank section and said pair of second hook means lying in substantially the same second plane,

(3) elongated link means, perpendicular to said second plane of said second shank section, connecting said pair of second side elements adjacent the upper ends thereof, said link means having (a) an elongated horizontal opening therein, said opening having the longitudinal axis thereof extending substantially at right angles to said second plane of said second shank section,

said first and second members being interengaged by:

(A) passing the lower portion of a first side element with an extending first hook means of the first member through the elongated slot of the second member second shank section until the first shank section intermediate connecting means is adjacent the second shank section lower connecting means,

(B) rotating the first member about the second member second shank section lower connecting means to cause the first shank section of the first member to move adjacent to and into substantial axial alignment with the second shank section of the second member, whereby the first member first shank section and first hook means, which lie in the first plane are substantially perpendicular to the second member second shank section and second hook means. which lie in the second plane,

(C) moving the first member upwardly with respect to the second member to pass the first member first shank section and at least a portion of the boat receiving eye therein through the elongated opening of the second member upper link means until the first member stop projection is adjacent thereto, and

(D) securing a boat line through the portion of the first member first shank section boat line receiving eye projecting above the second member upper link means, thereby restricting relative movement of the first member with respect to the second member.

6. An anchor as set forth in claim 5 wherein said second member link means elongated opening is of a size and shape to permit, with slight clearance, endwise projection upwardly therethrough of a portion of said first member upper shank section and limit turning movement thereof in said opening with respect to said second member.

7. An anchor as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first member shank section side elements, upper connecting means, and a pair of spaced hook means are formed of a continuous piece of rod and each said second member shank section side element and its extending second hook means is formed of a continuous piece of rod.

8. An anchor as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first shank section first side elements are parallel and said second shank section second side elements are parallel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,496,503 2/1950 Tamm 114-207 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner, 

1. AN ANCHOR, FOR ATTACHMENT TO A BOAT LINE, COMPRISING TWO INTERLOCKED MEMBERS COMPRISING A FIRST MEMBER AND A SECOND MEMBER, SAID FIRST MEMBER COMPRISING: (A) A FIRST ELONGATED SHANK SECTION COMPRISING: (1) AN UPPER PORTION HAVING (A) A BOAT LINE RECEIVING EYE, (2) A LOWER PORTION HAVING (A) A VERTICAL SLOT, OPEN AT THE BOTTOM AND AND DEFINING (I) A PAIR OF FIRST SIDE ELEMENTS, (B) A PAIR OF OPPOSED SPACED FIRST HOOK MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR WITH SAID FIRST SHANK SECTION, EACH OF SAID FIRST HOOK MEANS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE LOWER END OF ONE OF SAID FIRST SIDE ELEMENTS OF SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FIRST SHANK SECTION, (C) A STOP PROJECTION ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID FIRST SHANK SECTION UPPER PORTION; SAID SECOND MEMBER COMPRISING: (A) A SECOND ELONGATED SHANK SECTION COMPRISING: (1) A PAIR OF SPACED SECOND SIDE ELEMENTS, (2) MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECOND SIDE ELEMENTS ADJACENT THE LOWER ENDS THEREOF, (3) AN ELONGATED SLOT DEFINED BY SAID PAIR OF SECOND SIDE ELEMENTS AND SAID LOWER CONNECTING MEANS, SAID SLOT HAVING ITS UPPER END OPEN, (B) A PAIR OF OPPOSED SPACED SECOND HOOK MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR WITH SAID SECOND SHANK SECTION, EACH OF SAID SECOND HOOK MEANS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM THE LOWER END OF ONE OF SAID SECOND SIDE ELEMENTS OF SAID SECOND SHANK SECTION, (C) LINK MEANS CONNECTING THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID SECOND SHANK SECTION PAIR OF SECOND SIDE ELEMENTS ADJACENT THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF, SAID LINK MEANS DEFINING (1) AN OPENING, SAID OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID SECOND SHANK SECTION ELONGATED SLOT; SAID FIRST MEMBER INTERLOCKED WITH SAID SECOND MEMBER WITH: (A) THE PLANE OF SAID FIRST SHANK SECTION AND SAID FIRST HOOK MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID SECOND SHANK SECTION AND SAID SECOND HOOK MEANS, (B) A PORTION OF SAID FIRST SHANK SECTION PROJECTING THROUGH SAID SECOND SHANK SECTION SLOT WHEREBY PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST MEMBER ARE ONONE SIDE AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANE OF SAID SECOND MEMBER SECOND SHANK SECTION AND SAID SECOND HOOK MEANS, (C) THE FIRST MEMBER FIRST HOOK MEANS AND FIRST SHANK SECTION LOWER PORTION SLOT STRADDLING SAID SECOND MEMBER SHANK SECTION LOWERR CONNECTING MEANS, (D) A PORTION OF SAID FIRST SHANK SECTION, INCLUDING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID BOAT RECEIVING EYE, PROJECTING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID SECOND MEMBER LINK MEANS OPENING, (E) SAID FIRST MEMBER STOP PROJECTION ADJACENT THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SECOND MEMBER LINK MEANS TO LIMIT UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST MEMBER, AND (F) SAID BOAT LINE PASSING THROUGH SAID BOAT RECEIVING EYE THEREBY LOCKING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MEMBERS TOGETHER. 